On arrival at Buenos Aires International Airport (EZE), you will be met as soon as you leave the aircraft on the boarding bridge. You will be assited through immigration with fast track, assistance with the luggage and escorted through customs until you meet with your guide/driver.
You will then be met by your driver and transferred to the hotel (55 minutes drive).
This afternoon you set off on a Recoleta Walking Tour with English speaking guide (2 hours 30 minutes).
You set off on a Recoleta Walking Tour to get acquainted with your neighborhood for the next days. The tour will take about two and a half hours.
The best way to get to know Buenos Aires’ distinctive neighbourhoods (barrios) is “on the ground”. Recoleta is named after the barefoot Franciscan friars of the Recoleto order who settled here in the early 1700s. The outbreak of yellow fever in the south of the city in 1871 caused the elite to swarm to this area, laying the foundations for a concentration of intellectual and cultural activity. Open green spaces with landscaped parks surround Buenos Aires’ most elegant residential and shopping district.
You amble through this beautiful and sophisticated neighbourhood of treed sidewalks, French balconies, grand marble façades, and upscale brand-name stores; and discover its landmarks: the Spanish colonial Pilar Church and the intriguing Recoleta Cemetery with its amazing mausoleums and statues; the imposing Bourdelle equestrian monument to General Alvear; the grand Alvear and Quintana Avenues with sumptuous French style buildings, as the Alvear Palace Hotel, the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, Alzaga Unzué Mansion / Four Seasons Hotel; the Vatican, French and Brazilian Embassies, exclusive Jockey Club on the enchanting Pellegrini Square, and the Patio Bullrich Mall, which won the award to the best architectural restoration design for a shopping-centre in the world.
Overnight - Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt – Palace Building
You are met in the lobby by your driver and transfer to Buenos Aires Domestic Airport (AEP), a 25 minute drive, and check in for your onward flight to Bariloche.
You are met by your local guide at Bariloche Airport to be transferred to the Llao Llao Hotel & Resort enjoying on the way a Welcome Hike.
The Welcome Hike activity is about connecting you with the place, its diversity, its situations and attractions and the endless possibilities Patagonia has to offer with all its diversity. First you cross the steppe, you see the mountains, the ski center, discovering the lake, the possibility of traversing through Bariloche from end to end and go along the route of Av. Bustillo. Taking a quiet walk through the forest while catching sight of the incredible surroundings, is the best way to approach Patagonia. This walk in the forest goes through a trail with gentle slopes that allows you to see coihues, cypresses and other native trees. The path leads to a viewpoint of Nahuel Huapi Lake, ideal to admire stunning landscapes. There, glaciers in the high mountains, native forests, and islands that unfold in the arms of the lake tell a story of thousands of years. Sounds of nature, birds chirping, wind sneaking between the tops of the trees and the murmur of water at your feet, will keep you company throughout the entire walk. This natural beauty comes together in the perfect moment to enjoy and share a spectacular welcoming experience when you arrive at a secret viewpoint with and imposing scenery, chosen to sit down, drink mate and taste typical homemade delicacies. At the end of the walk, you will have breathed in deep and for the first time the air of Patagonia.
The walk takes about 3 hours.
Overnight - Lloa LLoa Hotel - Moreno Wing
Breakfast, lunch
Today you enjoy an Andes Trail Campestre with Kayak or Mountain Bike and Rappel with English speaking guide (picnic lunch included).
10.30 am - Meet your guide at the hotel begin your day with a hike (Difficulty: Low, medium or high to be defined according to your wishes).
Hike through the forest with the opportunity to see the bluffs and valleys along the vast Nahuel Huapi Lake.
During the walk you can see trees such as Austrocedrus chilensis, lenga (Lenga Beech), ñire (Antartic Beech), Arrayán (Chilean myrtle), Pehuen (Monkey Puzzle tree), Patagua (Lily of the valley tree), Laura (Muchi) and Radal (Lomatia hirsuta), Rosehip, Broom, Lupines and various species of Pines and Juniper.
Among its characteristic fauna, you could see condors, native deer (pudu pudu y huemul), introduced deer such as the red deer. Although you try not to cross paths with them, you will walk in the territory of wild boars and pumas (very rare to see one). You could also see red fox. On the Andes Trail what you see more than anything are birds: Jote, Carancho, Chimango, Aguilucho, Matamico, Giant Woodpecker, Plum Yal Carpi, Andean Yal, Chucao, Huet Huet, Fio Fio, Rayadito, Comesebo. And that are not birds: Lizards, chinchillones, huillin (difficult to see).
If you are a bit more adventurous, you will have the choice to rappel down the mountainside, if the option of rappel does not interest you, you can hike down for lunch while you enjoy your surroundings.
In the afternoon, after another short hike you will navigate the lake with your adventure kayaks. This excursion is a MUST to get to know Northern Patagonia.
Level of Difficulty: Medium. [50-minute walk with mild altitude gain]
Pick up: 10:30 am
Drop off: 3:30 pm/ 4:30 pm
Fitness Requirements: Basic fitness level
Personal Mountaineering Gear: Sports footwear (running shoes-type), sandals + bathing suit if summer, synthetic warm clothing, sunglasses, hat and sunscreen.
Optional: Kayak or mountain bike (to be defined by the client in advance) + Rappel (can be removed).
Overnight - Lloa LLoa Hotel - Moreno Wing
Condor Watching
Another experience you may enjoy doing in Bariloche is a Condor Watching in the arid steppes – Home to the Andean Condor - accompanied by naturalist Lorenzo Sympson, world condor expert, to discover these incredible creatures in their own habitat. It´s about 1.30 hour drive from Llao Llao Hotel each way. Following the Path of the Condor we explore the valleys searching for roosts on cliff pinnacles to gain insight into the life of this majestic bird and understand the secrets of its flight. Being the largest flying bird, Andean condors are regarded as “King of the Skies,” but scientists estimate there are no more than a few thousands of the species left in the Andean ranges. Condors were considered by the Incas the messengers of the Gods; flying aside them is an unforgettable memory for anyone who appreciates nature. The mountains of Patagonia are one of the world´s greatest spots for condor watching. This bird lovers´ offsite takes you to the dry steppe and pampa grasslands of Patagonia to study these fascinating creatures. Mr. Lorenzo Sympson will provide you with insight into the life and habits of the high-flying bird. The Andean color, which is black with white on its wings, typically 3 to 4 feet (91 to 122 cm) long with a wingspan of about 10 feet (304 cm). They usually live at altitudes of 10,000 to 16,000 feet and spend most of the time in the air.
Breakfast, picnic lunch
Full day Isla Victoria - Piedras Blancas Bay (heart of the island)
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Total duration 10 hours)
You set off on a luxury sailboat (34 feet with 2 crew members on board). On arrival at the island you'll enjoy a welcome drink at the pier and a Patagonian lunch.
Victoria Island is almost entirely covered by coihue and cypress forests. In isolated groups, maitenes, radales, ñires, lauras, arrayanes and pataguas are observed. There are also cane fields of coligüé cane. The araucarias, although they are native to the province of Neuquén, are believed to have been introduced to the island by the man. Amancay, michay, quintral and notro are some of the flowers of the earth. The "old man's beard" lichen hanging from the trees is an indicator of the purity of the air. The forests in the central zone include a variety of pines, firs, pseudotsuga or Oregon pine, sequoias, macrocarpas, oaks, maples and eucalyptus, as well as a variety of fruit trees. Exotic blooms include broom, daisy and lupine (in spring) and digitalis (in early summer). Brambles and rosehips are also common.
The native island fauna, outside of birds, is almost invisible: pudu, dwarf deer, nutria, the huillín. On the contrary, jotes, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and cauquenes are frequent, as is the cosmopolitan kelp gull.
After lunch you'll enjoy a guided hiking of low-intermediate intensity in mountainous terrain but not high or requiring ascents, for the most part the terrain is flat.
You leave for Bariloche at 5.45 pm enjoying a Gin and Cheese tasting on board, arriving at port at 8 pm. You then transfer to the hotel (15-20 minutes).
Overnight - Lloa LLoa Hotel - Moreno Wing
Breakfast, lunch
Today you travel from Bariloche to Calafate.
After a leisurely morning, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight to Calafate.
On arrival at Calafate Airport you will be met and trasnferred to the hotel, a 25 mintue drive.
Overnight - Xelena Hotel
Breakfast
Perito Moreno Glacier & Catwalks and Minitrekking over the glacier (shared activity)
Private transfer to the pier Bajo las Sombras (1 hour) to take a short boat ride (20 minute navigation) across the Rico fjord of Lake Argentino, navigating among iridescent icebergs and sighting the tall ice walls of the 200–foot-high, 3-mile-wide glacier. After a short briefing, and getting equipped with crampons attached to your shoes, you start a fascinating walk over the icecap, sighting crevices, ice caves and underwater rivers of myriad blue hues.
When you reach the glacier side, with its amazing shades of blue ice framing the landscape, you will be divided into subgroups of up to 20 people each and you will have the crampons and helmets fitted, which are provided by the company. This tour is highly personalized (one guide every up to 10 passengers). Once on the glacier, you will hear the safety instructions and you will walk to enjoy this frozen paradise, which has been declared a Word Heritage Site in 1981.
The Mini-trek over the glacier is a shared activity, an unforgettable adventure that requires no expertise. The level of difficulty of this walk is moderate. The surface of the ice is irregular, but firm and safe. During the trekking, you will be able to see a variety of typical glacier features, such as deep cracks, blue moulins, huge seracs and turquoise ponds. At the end of the ice trekking, you will walk on the area around the glacier and the side moraine, from where you will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of Glaciar Perito Moreno, the mountains and the lake.
Later, you will return along a path crossing the exuberant Bosque Andino Patagónico, completing the three-hour walk on the lake coast, moraine, ice and woods (about one hour is on the glacier’s ice).
The Minitrekking is carried out in a natural environment, so weather conditions and the glacier and its surroundings change every day. However, the excursion is not suspended, as long as security conditions allow it. Enjoy a glass of scotch over 15,000 year old ice chipped from the top. Returning across the forests, you stop for a rest, enjoying the wondrous view of this marvel of nature, sitting by the lake shore directly across the face of this magnificent ice construction, privy to a profound quiet, disturbed only by the thunderous cracking and fracturing of the glacier which occasionally precedes the collapse of some gigantic column of permafrost into the lake below. Sit mesmerized watching the waves occasioned by the collapses, contemplating the volume of the resulting shimmering icebergs.
You return by shared boat to the harbor and meet your private guide again for a visit to the Glacier Catwalks (15 minute drive). The catwalks are formed by seven balconies of different height and distance from the glacier, connected by stepped footpaths that offer stunning views of the front wall of Perito Moreno Glacier, its overwhelming dimension of seemingly endless ice fields, and the imposing Andes Mountain range as backdrop.
What should you bring? Wear comfortable and warm clothes. A jacket, sports shoes or trekking boots, sunglasses, sunscreen, gloves, a wool hat.
Due to the effort and difficulty levels (MODERATE, with steep and uneven ascents and descents) of this activity, and in order to preserve their health, the following persons cannot take the tour:
- People with any degree of physical or mental disability that affects their attention, ability to walk and/or coordination.
- Suitable for people between 8 and 65 years ONLY. No exceptions.
- People with a cardiac history. Persons who suffer from central or peripheral heart or vascular disease, whose heart or capabilities are limited, or people with stents, bypass, pacemakers or other prosthesis. Example: anticoagulant medication, stage 3 varicose veins (multiple thick varicose veins that can noticed).
- People who suffer from diseases caused by respiratory disabilities such as COPD, asthma, emphysema, among others.
- Overweight people
- Pregnant
Overnight - Xelena Hotel
Breakfast, lunch
Today you meet your driver and are transferred to Explora Lodge in El Chalten.
Explora El Chalten is located amidst a private natural reserve, on the north bank of the Eléctrico River and surrounded by dense forests of lenga and ñirre trees. Its strategic position is perfect to explore the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, the world’s third largest fresh water reserve.
In Chalten the species found in this region can be classified into two large groups.
First of all, you find the birds. Without a doubt, they have the leading role, since more than 100 genres can be discovered, some of which can migrate to other continents. The Andean condor is perhaps the most representative species of the area. Another of the birds and perhaps one of the most striking that can be found immersed in the middle of the forest is the Magellanic woodpecker. Other species are the cachaña and the choique which is usually seen running firmly with its strong legs on the road.
Secondly, you find mammals, which in terms of variety of species are less abundant given the extreme survival conditions of the region. Within this group, the only cervid that we can see is the huemul. With its medium but robust size, this species is in a critical state of conservation. Another genus that can be observed in large herds is the guanaco. This camelid is perhaps the most distinguished of the Patagonian steppe.
Regarding felines, you can find the puma and the wild cat. The first is characterized by being solitary and, at the same time, the best hunter. The second is one of the most unlikely species to observe.
Finally, the canids. In this sub-group you find the small gray fox and the red fox. In both cases, it is a genus that has been intensely attacked by human action, which in order to obtain its skin, has ended up greatly reducing its population.
Overnight - Explora El Chalten
Breakfast, Dinner, selected beverages
These days are at your leisure to explore Argentinean Patagonia. In order to explore the area, Explora has outlined four different exploration zones, each with its own set of unique geographic, cultural and biosphere characteristics.
We recommend you begin exploring the Reserva Los Huemules zone –where the lodge is located– continuing with explorations in either the Desert Lake zone, the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, or the Southern Ice Fields zone.
There are over 30 explorations with different levels of difficulty that tour the parks and reserves through hiking, rock climbing, mountain climbing and overland crossings.
For further details on the activities on offer, please click on this link - https://www.explora.com/el-chalten-tours/
Overnight - Explora El Chalten
Fully inclusive of all meals, selected beverages, most explorations
Today you depart for Buenos Aires. You are met and transferred to El Calafate Airport, a drive of around 3 hours. Here you check in for your flight to Buenos Aires.
Upon arrival, met and transferred to Legado Mitico Hotel in Palermo neighborhood which has a young vibe (55 minutes drive) .
Overnight - Legato Mitico Hotel
Breakfast
Today you are transferred to EZE Airport and check in for your homebound flight.
End of Arrangements
Breakfast
